Chapter 1037: The Migrants' Southward Action Begins
To establish a settlement in the source area of the Lovati River, it was destined to be far away from Lake Ilmen.
A city that is isolated outside the core control area must have all measures to be self-sufficient, especially military defense.
Lukiholm will surely become the first permanent colonial city that Russia will expand southwards in Eastern Europe.
It has such an important strategic economic position, but it is too far away from Lake Ilmen. The cost of upfront blood transfusions would be too high to continue. It is better to solve the problem at the source and recruit some local residents to permanently migrate to it.
Lukiholm. These expropriated Slavs will also change their identities, from farmers who came from various farms to become subjects of the Principality of Ostara.
Everything remains as before, Rurik still arranges for one of his wives, Carlotta, to guard the southern gate of the kingdom.
It has been agreed at the meeting that the defense of Lukiholm will be managed by the Principality of Ostara in the future. Unless it is really unable to withstand the situation, the main force of the King's Division will march southward via waterway for reinforcements.
As long as you row a boat upstream along the Lovaj River, you can reach the big bend and build a city. The cost of marching does not seem to be high.
This time, Rurik intends to recruit a thousand people to go, and this is the biggest cost.
A three-year tax exemption decree has been issued, and the boyars of each farm are very happy. They themselves are still in Novgorod and will never leave suddenly.
Kagan and his Pecheneg cavalry are about to end their sojourn life and leave with the purchased goods and a large number of strategic materials gifted by King Rus. They are caravans and guardians of the city-building team. A huge
The cavalry was about to leave Novgorod and return to the city of Novoostara at the southern end of the lake. The reason why Kagan was still lingering was because he was deliberately waiting for Rurik to finish the final meeting.
The boyars were gathered again, with happy smiles on their faces, and they were whispering to each other, wondering if the king was going to announce any more rewards or the like.
In anticipation, Rurik once again appeared kindly. Unlike the last meeting, this time he was accompanied by a noble woman.
Carlotta is dressed smartly, with long hair tied into thick golden braids, a white fox hat on her head, and a fair and round face under the hat.
Carlotta has the same round face as her sisters, even though they are pure-blooded Nordic people. This is probably because they always eat hard food in life, and the muscles in their cheeks are overly strong.
Her face is familiar to many boyars. After all, there is only one duchess in the whole kingdom. Legally, her Principality of Ostara was incorporated into Rus through a dowry.
Her identity is so special, and her wealth is also extremely special.
This noble woman was also quite fierce, and the slaves rebuked her as a "forest she-bear." But Geboyar was very happy to have such a heroic woman by her side.
Carlotta and the King appear at the same time, what's going on?
Rurik first clapped his hands vigorously to shock the noisy audience, and signaled those who stood up to sit down again.
He cleared his throat: "I only announce one thing today. Ross has already completed the expansion to the north, and we discovered the sea at the end of the world. Last year we explored westward, and this year the matter was suspended. This year, I ordered the opening of the
The exploration of the eastern forest has also decided to start the exploration of the south now. You are all residents living near Lake Ilmen, don’t you want to expand your living space? Therefore, I will build another one in the upper reaches of the Lovaj River.
Big city."
The construction of new settlements is pioneering and innovative, and is generally a good thing. The boyars subconsciously expressed their welcome.
Their welcoming attitude was indeed genuine, whether they were sincerely welcoming, perfunctory or echoing, Rurik was firmly caught by them.
"Oh! It seems that you are all very supportive. Very good, since you are so supportive, will you also support me if I make some requests?"
All the boyars looked at each other, and some people suddenly felt that it might not be a good thing. Their happy faces gradually became gloomy, and those who wanted to make noises shut up.
Rurik shrugged: "Don't worry, it's all good things. I counted forty-two boyars present. I want each of your farms to immediately come up with ten men, no less than twelve years old.
They must not be over twenty years old. From now on, these men will leave your farm and their status will be changed to subjects of the Principality of Ostara."
As soon as he said this, the closed mouths immediately buzzed. It wasn't that Rurik's decision caused an uproar, but everyone just didn't understand the purpose of handing over some young boys.
After all, some farms only have a population of two to three hundred people, so handing over ten people at once would be a huge loss.
Rurik had to explain again: "I know that asking you to bring out some young boys is a great loss of labor force for the village. However, your boys will take up arms and build settlements in the south! It will be a fortress
, a post. You did not really lose them, but these boys will take the lead as warriors to protect the safety of the entire lake area. This has huge benefits for all of us, and the difficulties you face are only temporary difficulties. Rest assured,
As long as you surrender ten people obediently, I will give you a cash subsidy."
After that, Rurik touched Carlotta next to him again and asked her to say the arranged words again.
Under normal circumstances, Goboyar would not talk cordially with Carlotta, but the farms had more or less transactions with New Ostara in the southernmost part of the lake on livestock issues. They bred some calves and lambs and sold them directly from the farmers.
Exchanging money for food is also Carlotta's business method.
She raised her chin, her posture was arrogant, and her tone was kind: "Friends, if you take out ten boys, it will be a loss for the time being. They will all be under my management, and from now on they will become my subjects, and they will be my family."
.I swear that I will not treat them badly and will train them to become qualified warriors. Your dedicated children will eventually make meritorious deeds. They will live in the emerging fortress in the south for a long time. I will allow them to come back by boat to visit relatives regularly. You actually
I haven’t lost these children. Don’t you still believe me? The king will give you some cash rewards as the king, and I can give you some lambs and calves as the Duke of Ostara. Ten people from each farm, I
Give back five lambs and a calf.”
Carlotta was serious. Theoretically, there would be 420 boys as her subjects, and there would be 42 cattle and 210 lambs.
Ostara is no longer what it used to be. Under the leadership of the Duchess Carlotta, all the people are doing their best to breed livestock. The number of cattle, sheep, horses and reindeer is increasing. Among them, sheep have the highest breeding efficiency.
.In addition, we sent our own cavalry south to plunder, and took away not only the slaves, but also the livestock of the local people. Those who could be easily taken away would definitely be taken away.
The number of livestock she owns is getting higher and higher, so there is no problem in using part of it to reward the boyars.
After all, these cattle and sheep are gifts to the Boyars, and the compensation given by Rurik will also fall into the hands of the Boyars.
In today's era, Boyar still has a reputation. Most of the residents of the farm are related to him by blood, and they are not going to monopolize the king's reward. It is normal to eat more than half of it.
Hand over the ownership of a boy and change him to a subject of the Principality of Ostara. For the cost of this change of relationship, Rurik is willing to pay one pound of silver coins for each person.
Ten pounds of silver coins, five sheep and a calf, this deal is okay!
In the eyes of the boyars, human life has a price. Those boyars with small village populations urgently need a sum of cash to improve the lives of the whole village, not to mention that sheep now mean wealth! The state-owned garment factory in Novgorod has received
There is a large amount of Western wool, and all workers are working hard in the textile trade and earning gratifying labor wages. Even if the wages are not high, they are enough to attract the attention of many unemployed peasant women.
Even if there is a lack of opportunities to work in state-owned garment factories, what those workers do is not unusual.
Each farm can raise its own sheep, cut the wool regularly, or sell the wool to the city, or process it by itself, spin it with wooden needles, and just wear woolen clothes.
Normally, buying a lamb costs a lot of money, but now the Duchess is giving away five of them, which is really a delicacy.
After thinking about it, these people felt very comfortable. Suddenly, someone stood up and asked, "Sir, how many males and females are there in these five sheep?"
"I'll give you all the ewes," Carlotta said casually.
"This... at least gives us a ram lamb."
"Oh? I understand." Carlotta narrowed her eyes slightly, "I think she wants to breed her own lambs. For the sake of you all handing them over, you can."
Giving them rams and lambs poses no threat to the economy of New Ostara. Wool is a good thing, and the more it is, the better. Carlotta has no intention of monopolizing wool production, but only wants to expand output. After all, her husband Rurik has
There are ways to sell excess wool products to distant places, and this is also an important way to gain profits in a peaceful state.
So the boys left the venue happily. They got cash on the same day, and every silver coin was Frankish goods of good quality.
They immediately went shopping in the city of Novgorod and quickly returned the silver coins Rurik had given intact in exchange for a large number of high-quality agricultural tools.
The cost of cast plowshares is not high. With the influx of hot money into the market, its selling price has also increased accordingly. If the plowshares are completely made into curved shaft plows, the price can be raised very high. This is done purely with the thinking of a businessman.
Of course, but Rurik had to consider the needs of the people. Essentially, they just wanted a plowshare, and they didn't even have an urgent need for a curved shaft plow. They just wanted a sturdy tool that could cultivate soil.
Installing a makeshift iron plowshare on your traditional oak plow is hundreds of times better than the wooden plows of the past.
Now is the period of comprehensive expansion of more than 200,000 people in the Lake Ilmen area. The armed expeditions sent by Ross in the east and south directions are only part of the great expansion. The real expansion lies in the natural expansion of farmers. Various farms, including the old
The Russian immigration settlements and their request for farmland from the forest have a huge demand for plows and axes. Every small family needs its own tools, and the more the better.
The price of plowshares rose to twenty silver coins, and the boyars took the opportunity to buy some.
Rurik made an agreement with everyone, and the boys from each farm arrived at the southern city of New Ostara at the agreed time to assemble.
He can probably imagine what kind of trouble Zhu Boyar will cause when he returns to the farms. After all, no parent is willing to let his son leave, let alone his son who is already a strong laborer. These things are Boyar's business, no matter what the date of the agreement, everything will happen
Children must be gathered in place.
Rurik himself will not go to the source of the Lovaj River, but Duchess Carlotta will ride there in person and lay the foundation stone herself. She will also take her son Karl to see the world, and she also intends to make her son grow up when he grows up.
First, experience it as a city lord in the emerging Lukiholm.
After all, building a new city is a national-level project. Rurik organized a fleet in the lake area, whose task is to escort the immigrant team to arrive smoothly. The fleet is composed of traditional long boats, which also transport some tools needed for city construction.
, materials, especially a large number of nails and cables. There is also a large amount of food to ensure sufficient supplies when building the city.
From Kagan's point of view, his Rurik brothers were indeed serious about making such a big deal, and he indeed attached great importance to Lukiholm.
Rurik rode his horse and led the cavalry to New Ostara quickly.
He traveled with Kagan's horse team and made their final stop here.
At this time, there were 200 Kagan mercenaries and 300 pure transportation horses. There were hemp bags hung on both sides of the horses. Fortunately, the horses were all grassland horses with extremely strong endurance. Otherwise, Rurik would not have thought that his sworn brother could do this.
Take away a large amount of goods: iron pots, iron tableware, glassware, soap, jars of honey, barrels of ale, bottles of spirits, arrow clusters, steel swords, spearheads, linen, cables, salt, vegetable dyes, deerskins
, rabbit skins, bears skins, squirrel skins, walrus tusks, poultry flight feathers, raspberry preserves, dried thyme, and various small items.
Ross has been producing all kinds of objects. What Kagan brought most were bulk materials necessary for production and life. The rest of the small objects were mostly curious.
It is undeniable that the types of goods that Rus can produce have been increasing, which the Pechenegs could not think of in the past, even if their trade volume was not high. Kagan was very careful that in the future, the trade routes became more and more stable, and both sides
The trading volume will definitely increase year by year. The Pechenegs can indeed rely on the power of Ross to strengthen themselves. The heavy supplies carried by these hundreds of horses prove everything.
This was Kagan's last personal escort and the largest trade cavalry between the two countries.
The two brothers continued to drink and chat in New Ostara, and the children were waiting for them one after another before the appointed date.
A large number of boys were escorted to New Ostara by their tribesmen, either by boat or on foot. This place can indeed be called "escort", and Rurik could see their reluctance just from the faces of these children.
.
So what?
Moreover, Rurik felt that he had been teased a little by a group of boyars. They did bring the boys in accordance with the regulations, but they all looked immature. Apparently, they were all selected by the boyars according to the lower age limit. I'm afraid if we take a closer look
There was also an eleven-year-old boy brought in to top up the number.
The boyars personally escorted him, and their playful and smiling faces made it difficult for Rurik to criticize him.
Carlotta was still very generous and immediately accepted these boys with thin bodies and immature faces. Then she ordered her subordinates to give them the prepared boiled wheat, and then poured the boiled milk and salty milk foam into the wooden bowl.
Oats are a strange delicacy. These boys were not picky and had a wonderful meal happily.
After the boys had a full meal, they changed their clothes together. All the clothes were naturally funded by Rurik. Different from the Russian army's robes, these boys' robes were sewn with black cloth strips into abstract shapes on the chest.
bull head.
This is the emblem of the Principality of Ostara. Putting on these clothes, putting on new leather boots, and eating the food of the Ostara people, they bid farewell to their hometown farm. Even if their parents are still with them at home, at this moment
All the children suddenly became Carlotta's subjects.
The boys even performed a collective ceremony and saluted Duchess Carlotta and swore allegiance to her.
It was a sunny morning, with long boats lined up on the Lovati River, and cavalry gathering on the shore.
The four hundred and twenty boys were short in stature. They were too young after all. Carlotta accepted them with a smile, thinking that in a few years these boys would grow tall enough and strong. She also really needed her new subjects to be younger, so that it would be more convenient.
Her own training and emotional edification. In her plan, all these boys will become cavalry, but it is just due to the lack of qualified war horses on hand.
Ostara wanted to send another 200 people to accompany him, and Carlo Talling hired hundreds of farmers from several nearby farms to assist. Rurik also brought some brothers from Novgorod, but he did not go to the south himself.
Assigned to Admiral Fisk.
Together with the Pecheneg troops who were about to go home, the number of people heading south along the river easily exceeded a thousand.
This is less like an immigration team and more like an expeditionary army.
The boys got on the long boat, accompanied by their adults, and imitated the Varyags, picking up the long oars and waiting for the order to set off.
On the shore, Rurik raised his head and looked at the face of Carlotta on horseback, and the tiger-headed Karl sitting in front.
"Complete the task early. The fortress must be built this year."
"Okay." Carlotta didn't say much. She had already said what she needed to say.
Rurik also talked too much with Kagan, and he really didn’t want to say anything at the moment of separation. They were both men, and this moment was deeply divided.
He signaled to the trumpeter on standby, and as the melodious trumpet sounded, the huge team began to take action.
The move of migrating people south to build new cities has begun!